Ivan Johnson had options within the NBA. Still he chose to leave the states and accept a lucrative deal to play for the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls in China.

The former Atlanta Hawks forward had interest from the Chicago Bulls New York Knicks Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers Jared Zwerling of ESPN reported citing Johnson’s agent Jeremiah Haylett.

Haylett did not discuss the financial details according to Zwerling. Haylett did say it would be tough to pull in a deal of around $3 million in the current NBA climate especially for a player like Johnson who expected a mini-midlevel offer at best.

As SI.com pointed out the Chinese Basketball Association season lasts from October to February so Johnson could play in the NBA this year which would most likely come as part of a playoff bound team.